Pentair Warrior SE motor problem & Warranty replacement

[Apsuhead]

I bought a new Pentair Warrior SE from Marina in Nov 2020 for my new fiberglass pool. I always keep it cleaned out and hanging in my equipment shed. It was a little sluggish over the winter while I kept my pool open but I just figured it was the cold water. It would just get stuck in the shallow end by going back and forth straight into a wall and not clean the whole pool. Today when I put it in the pool … it powers on and goes back and forth a few times & then it dies. The light stops blinking on the robot and it stays still. The lights on the power supply stay illuminated but the robot is dead. It has repeated this process several times I retry it. I have unplugged everything (checked filters and inspected the inside) and started over with the same result. Any ideas?

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

The robot does a couple of self-tests when it first powers on. It moves forward and back and then you should see a little volcano of water at the surface. If it does not pass these tests, it just stops.

If you don't see the water volcano, then the suction impeller is not working, at least not working good enough.

It could be the suction motor is bad, or it could be that hair or string has wound around the impeller. Have you ever cleaned the impeller? You have to take out a few screws to do it.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Take it apart and check for obvious obstructions. But if there are no obvious signs of damage then it’s the motor assembly. A pool shop that sells these robots, or Marina’s, can run a diagnostic on it (unfortunately, only shops can do that, Maytronics didn’t allow end users to have access to diagnostics). They will likely find a water pump motor fault or overload. Their fix is always the same though - replace the motor assembly …. which costs $450. They will not go any deeper than that even though the likely culprit is an electric motor that costs maybe $50.

Check with Marina’s about warranty service though. If this purchase had a 2 year warranty, then your within the time frame to get the motor assembly replaced for free.

 

[cowboycasey]

Seth is great at Marina pool and spa, give him a call..

 

[Apsuhead]

Thanks for the replies. I just removed the screws and checked the impeller last week. It seemed to be losing power and not making it out of the deep end so that was the first thing I checked. I will check it again this evening and then contact Marina if I can’t get it going. Hopefully I will have a happy ending, fingers crossed.

 

[Global Charming]

Mine is going on 2 years old and started doing the same thing... moved forward, the back, then stops. I checked the impeller and it was free of hair and junk. I put it back in the water and now it works for about 2 minutes then dies.

These things are junk, really.

 

[Apsuhead]

I got home and checked the impeller, everything looks perfect in there and it’s clear of debris. I tried a few other troubleshooting tips I found on TFP but nothing works. It still just goes forward and backward … then dies. I sent Marina an email with pics on my unit, SN numbers and receipts. Hopefully warranty covers repairs or replacement. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Hopefully it's covered under warranty. If it is, they will simply put a new motor assembly in it. It's very likely the water pump electric motor that runs the impeller. The unit self-test is basically to run the drive motor forward and back, run the directional thrust actuator and then run the impeller. If any of those fails, the robot just stops. You can take it out of the water and power it up with the covers off and the robot up on a block to see if all the self-test steps happen. The only problem is it will run the impeller motor and not sense an error because its not in water and it will shut down any way. But you can at least see of the drive motor and directional actuator run properly.

 

[Apsuhead]

I emailed Marina 9 days ago on April 13th and still haven’t gotten a response. I tried reseating the motor assembly as shown in this video

but still nothing. It goes forward, backward, then shuts off. Very disappointed after only having this robot for less than 1.5 years. It worked great for almost a year. It should be covered under the 2 year warranty but it seems like it will take a long time it to get it fixed. I’ve also tried calling Marina but haven’t gotten an answer yet either.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Send emails too. As long as you have a record showing that you tried to get service for the issue before the end of the warranty period, then they should honor the warranty. Keep at it, they will answer eventually.

 

[Mbashore]

Apsuhead,
Two things,
First, we just moved from Clarksville last year. We lived on Idlewood Drive and absolutely loved it. The deer roaming by our home everyday was a joy.
Secondly, we went through the same thing with our Maytronics robot. Marina told us to take it to a local pool shop. You can look up a local shop on the Maytronics website.
They will install a rebuilt motor assembly, which is an easy repair.

 

[Apsuhead]

Thanks for the replies. I looked up the local dealers and I found AR Stoneworks here in Clarksville. I sent them an email as well.
@Mbashore I love that area in Clarksville around Swan Lake golf course

 

[markayash]

Did you check the swivel? They can get water in them also.

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

Did you get down to where you can see the impeller's shaft? If all you did is what your pic shows above, you did not go deep enough. The swivel unclips and under there are 4 screws that need to come off. Then you can see where the impeller motor shaft comes out of the housing.

This morning, one of my S200s would not pass the self tests. Sure enough, between the impeller and the motor housing was string-like plastic that was wrapped round the shaft. Removed it and the robot is back up and running.

Originally, it would run during the self test, but apparently too slowly or it was drawing too much current. Either way it would fail the test.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[markayash]

A,

Did you get down to where you can see the impeller's shaft? If all you did is what your pic shows above, you did not go deep enough. The swivel unclips and under there are 4 screws that need to come off. Then you can see where the impeller motor shaft comes out of the housing.

This morning, one of my S200s would not pass the self tests. Sure enough, between the impeller and the motor housing was string-like plastic that was wrapped round the shaft. Removed it and the robot is back up and running.

Originally, it would run during the self test, but apparently too slowly or it was drawing too much current. Either way it would fail the test.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Mine has done that also, it looks like if there is anything restricting the propeller from full speed it shuts off.
Mine hade pine straw wrapped around the shaft under the propeller.

 

[Apsuhead]

I took everything out. The impeller doesn’t seem to move as freely as it once did but it is completely clean. Frustrating…

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The motor needs to be replaced. That’s all they will do. Best to get one under warranty as soon as you can.

 

[Apsuhead]

I also contacted Maytronics and just got this reply …

Thank you for reaching us.
Unfortunately, we do not service Prowler robot cleaners.
I have attached the Pentair contact website so they can further assist you: Customer Service

So now I contacted Pentair …

 

[Apsuhead]

I just got this response from Pentair …

“yes sir, its registered, warranty started 11/20/2020 and ends 11/21/2022

if you have 29vdc from the power supply, down the cable to the motor, and it stops, then you need a new motor-

can you confirm voltage? or should we send a motor out?”

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Take the motor. Doubtful it’s the cable.